Man whose gun was found and fired by a child in Fishers Ikea found not guilty

Gun violence and its effect on children is a major concern. Here is more information about the problem as well as ways to help make children safer from gun violence.
Dwight Adams, dwight.adams@indystar.com

A Camby gun owner who admitted to dropping his weapon in the Fishers Ikea where it was found and fired by a 6-year-old boy last year was found not guilty by a Hamilton County jury.

Late last week, the jury trial for Francis T. Wright, 62, ended with him being acquitted of one count of criminal recklessness committed with a deadly weapon, according to online court records.

The incident happened around 2 p.m. on June 25, 2018, according to court documents. An officer responding to a "shots fired" call at the store met with an 18-year-old woman who was with two 6-year-old boys in the store's waiting area.

The officer also noticed a couch with a bullet hole in the top, and a handgun on the floor nearby.

The woman told police that one of the boys found the gun as they played on the couch. The boy then fired the weapon into the cushion while playing with it, court documents said.

Wright returned to the area shortly after police arrived and said he was the owner of the weapon. The gun was identified in court documents as a .380-caliber Kel-Tec P3AT.

Wright said he sat down because his back was hurting and left the gun behind without realizing it when he got back up, according to court documents. He also told police that he was wearing shorts with pockets that were "shallow and unsafe."

He added that the gun likely fell out of his pocket as he crossed his legs while sitting on the couch.

After the shooting, Ikea issued a statement apologizing to the family of the child and saying that company officials are cooperating with law enforcement.

The statement also states that guns are not permitted inside Ikea stores.